Women make up about two-thirds of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, but experts say longer life expectancy alone does not explain the gap. Dr. Jessica Caldwell’s research focuses on how sex and gender influence Alzheimer’s disease risk, resilience, and progression, including the roles of genetics, menopause, lifestyle factors, and life stressors. Caldwell is a neuropsychologist and investigator of the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer’s Prevention, or WRAP, at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, as well as a visiting associate professor in the Department of Neurology at UW–Madison. She previously directed the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement Prevention Center at Cleveland Clinic, the first Alzheimer’s prevention center designed exclusively for women.In this conversation with Being Patient’s Mark Niu, Caldwell explained how the disparity is influenced by multiple factors, including genetics, menopause, estrogen loss, medical conditions, lifestyle, and caregiving-related stress. She discussed why midlife may be an important window for prevention, especially for women. Caldwell also described how hormonal changes during menopause, symptoms such as hot flashes and depression, and chronic stress may affect brain health, while lifestyle factors such as exercise, nutrition, medical care and social connection may help support resilience.---If you loved listening to this Live Talk, visit our website to find more of our Alzheimer’s coverage and subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.beingpatient.com/Follow Being Patient: Twitter: https://twitter.com/Being_Patient_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beingpatientvoices/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beingpatientalzheimersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/being-patientBeing Patient is an editorially independent journalism outlet for news and reporting about brain health, cognitive science, and neurodegenerative diseases. In our Live Talk series on Facebook, former Wall Street Journal Editor and founder of Being Patient, Deborah Kan, interviews brain health experts and people living with dementia. Check out our latest Live Talks: https://beingpatient.com/live-talks/

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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